Minority urban residents are especially vulnerable to the social and psychological ills traditionally associated with city life, because the power structure is for them not only distant, but alien. Their traditional buffer, the neighborhood society, has recently acquired a political dimension in many cities. This research examines efforts by urban minority groups to have influence in local government proportionate to their numbers, as recently evidenced in changes to district representation on city councils. We are engaged in simultaneous observations of the process of change in local representation as it has occurred in 12 cities. This sample of cities includes some that have moved toward districts as a result of referenda, some that have changed because of Justice Department pressure or court order, and one that changed to a more at-large form. Data have been gathered on (1) referenda and election voting and vote turnout; (2) backgrounds of candidates and eventual incumbents; (3) council agendas and proceedings; and (4) policy outcomes. We have adopted an intensive comparative case-study approach, with team members assigned to target cities about which they have extensive background knowledge, but operating according to highly structured guidelines to insure uniformity of data. Each member has been responsible for gathering voting data and candidate information, and for analyzing the content of proceedings. In the second year, we propose to focus on interviewing council members, unsuccessful candidates, neighborhood activists, media people, and local administrators, in addition to the analysis of data gathered during the first year.